Silent and Alone

When Karya found Varus, he had already regained some of his senses.

Though his urge to kill had not completely faded, there were no Voidlings left around him to slaughter. In the end, Varus had regained some clarity.

At least when he saw Karya, he did not attack right away. He simply stood silently in the darkness, leaning on his longbow, without saying a word.

Just as he had when Karya first met him.

Back then, Varus had been a "special admit." Unlike the Ascended who had clawed their way up through the regular academic track, he had gotten into Shurima University on the strength of his military service and his peerless skill with a bow.

So when Karya first met him, he had looked just like this, standing alone and silent, far from the crowd.

That was the complete opposite of his sister, Valyria. Anyone who knew them both would have found it hard to believe that the polite, socially adept Valyria and Varus, who was always silent and seeking out some corner, had been born to the same mother.

The main reason for the difference between them was that they had grown up in completely different circumstances. Valyria had shown an early talent for academics, so she was the family's main focus. From childhood onward, she had been the kind of child other parents wished they had.

Varus was the one they had reluctantly given up on. In Shurima, where there was a clear path for advancement, he had no talent for the study of magic. So after finishing his basic education, he had gone off to join the army.

No one could have imagined that the siblings would reunite at Shurima University: one had clawed her way up, while the other had gotten in on his military